Saddle-bags.



No- 843,349. PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

A. R. MOORE.

SADDLE BAGS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20. 1906.

amen/ten W m @XZMM J rns NORRIS FETARS c0, WASHINGTON, n. cy

. is a similar View of the delivery-bag, showing UNTTE STATES AARON RAMEY MOORE,

PATENT @FFTGE.

OF EMPORIA, KANSAS.

SADDLE-BAGS.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

Serial No. 335,389-

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AARON RAMEY MOORE, l a citizen of the United States, residing at Emporia, in the county of Lyon and State of 3 Kansas, have invented certain new and use j ful Improvements in Saddle-Bags; and I do i declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in saddle-bags.

The object of the invention is to provide a saddle-bag particularly adapted for the use of rural mail-carriers, by means of which mail may be securely carried on horseback, means being provided whereby the mail will be protected from the weather and held against movement or shifting in the bag.

With the above and other objects in view 1 the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a horse, showing the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the bags removed from the horse. Fig. 3

the covenllap of one of the pockets thrown back in an open position; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the receiving-bag, showing the cover of the same thrown back in an open position.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 1 denotes the delivery-bag, which is arranged at the forward end of tlIO saddle and is provided with a hole 2 midway between its ends, by means of which the bag is engaged with the pommel of the saddle. The bag 1 is further secured and held. in place by a strap 3, which is connected to the lower forward corners of the bag and passes around the neck or breast of the horse, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The strap 3 is provided with a buckle 4, by means of which the same may be adjusted to fit various-sized horses.

The bag 1 is preferably provided with two pockets 5, one of which is arranged in each side of the bag and when the latter is in position lie on opposite sides of the horse's neck adjacent to the sides of the saddle. The up per open ends of the pockets 5 are adapted to be closed by overlapping flaps 6, which are of sufficient size to prevent the entrance of rain or snow into the pockets. The flaps 6 are held down in tight engagement with the outer sides of the pockets by means of elastic loops 7. These loops are connected at their lower ends to the inner ends of the strap 3 and are adapted to be looped over or engaged with books 8, secured to the lower edges of the 1 laps, as shown.

The receiving-bag 9 is arranged across the back of the horse adjacent to the rear end of the saddle and is held in position by means of side straps 10, which are connected to the forward edge of the same and to the rear edge of the delivery-bag 1 and extend along each side of the saddle. The receiving-bag 9 is further held in position by a girth or strap 12, which passes around the body of the horse, as shown.

The ends of the bag 9 when arranged in position on the back of the horse will afford receptacles into which the mail-matter may be placed, the upper side of the bag l')eing cut away, as shown in Fig. 4, to facilitate the insertion and removal of the mail into and from the bag without the necessity of the carrier dismounting. The upper open side of the bag 9 is protected by a cover-flap 13, which is provided near its outer edge midway be tween its ends with a suitable securing device. This securing device is here shown and is preferably in the form of a resilient head and socket-fastener 1d. The cover-flap 13 is further held in closed position by means of elastic loops 15, which are secured to the opposite ends of the girth 12 and are adapted to be engaged with hooks 16, secured to the ends of the flap, as shown. The elastic loopfastcnings for the [laps of both the delivery and receiving bags will hold the upper flap down into tight engagement with the sides of the bags, thus holding mail and preventing the same from being shaken around or rubbing together in the bag.

By means of saddle-bags constructed and arranged as herein shown and described mail may be delivered, collected, and carried easil y and safely, thus providing for the transferring of the mail over roads which would be impassable for a vehicle. The bags are constructed of any suitable waterproof material, which is preferably flexible to permit the bags to adjust themselves automatically for the acconuuodation of a large or small amount of mail-matter, which will pack closely together therein and be held against rubbing or IIC jostling bythe elastic cover-fastenings, which are stretched across the outer sides of the bag, as hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion,

- collecting or mail-receiving bag adapted to be arranged at the rear end of the saddle, means connecting said bags, and means on said bag for holding it in position on a horse.

2. A device of the character described comprising a mail-delivery bag arranged at and adapted to be secured to the forward ends of a saddle, means to hold said bag in position, a receiving or collecting bag adapted to be arranged on the back of a horse at the rear end of the saddle, side straps to connect said bags together on each side of the saddle, and means to hold said receiving-bag in place, substantially as described.

3. A device of the character described comprising a mail-delivery bag having a centrally-disposed aperture to receive the pommel of the saddle, a strap connected to said bag and adapted to be fastened around the neck of a horse to hold said bag in position, a collecting and receiving bag arranged at the rear end of the saddle, side straps to connect said delivery and receiving bags together at the opposite sides of the saddle, and a girth connected to the ends of said receiving-bag and adapted to be passed around the body of the horse to hold said bags in place, substantially as described.

4. A device of the character described comprising a mail-delivery bag having arranged therein an aperture to receive the pommel of the saddle, pockets formed in the opposite ends of said bag, cover-flaps arranged on the bag to close the open ends of said pockets, elastic fastening devices to hold said cover-flaps in closed position, a strap connected at its opposite ends to the ends of said bag and adapted to be passed around the neck of a horse to hold the bag in position, a mail collecting or receiving bag adapted to be arranged on the back of the horse at the rear end of the saddle, the upper side of said bag being formed to permit the insertion and removal of mail into and from the opposite ends of the bag Whenhung across the back of a horse, a cover-flap adapted to be closed over said opening in the bag, a centrally-disposed fastener arranged adjacent to the outer edge of said cover-flap to hold the same in closed position, elastic fastening de vices adapted to hold the ends of the flap closed, side straps adapted to connect said bags together on opposite sides of the saddle, and a girth-strap connected to the end of the receiving-bag to holdthe same in position, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the character described comprising a delivery-bag, means to secure the same to the pommel of a saddle, a strap to hold the bag in position on the neck of -a horse, pockets formed in the opposite ends of said bag, waterproof-covered flaps adapted to close said pockets, elastic fastening-loops connected at one end to the opposite ends of said bag-holding strap and adapted to be stretched across the bag and engaged With hooks on said flaps, thereby holding the flaps closed and holding the mail-matter against movement in the pockets, a receiving-bag arranged on the back of a horse at the rear end of the saddle, a cover-flap to close the open end of said bag, a fastening device arranged on the edge of the center of the same, a girth-strap connected to the ends of the bag and adapted to be passed around the body of the horse to hold the bag in place, and elastic fastening-loops connected to the opposite ends of said strap and adapted to be engaged with hooks on the ends of the coverflap, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A. RAMEY MOORE.

\Vitnesses:

WV. C. ORRILL, V. C.'HARRIS. 

